The batter ideally needs to rest. My Grandma would make the batter on a Saturday night for Sunday lunch, I wouldn’t go that far but would make it up in the morning and leave it resting in the fridge until using it that night.

OK I didn't in the end as I felt the batter 'thickened' with time in the end but glad I left it to 'stagnate' and ended up with crisp upstanding edges and soft waffer-like middles !! Mexica toad was worth a croak !!!!!

I saw a very dull home economics lady on TV along time agoShe said one interesting thingAccording to her if you leave the flour soaking in the liquid the starch grains swell and all burst instantly and simultaneously, and that's when it rises wellMakes sense, and as she said, the swelling will probably take about 45 minutes so an hour standing is probably enough

Funny you should say that Suffs, I was brought up to let the batter stand and know why it should, but can't honestly see the difference either.

How long do people beat theirs for?

When as a child I learned what is now called a nursery rhyme:

Betty Botta bought some butter;

“But,” she said, “this butter's bitter!

If I put it in my batter

It will make my batter bitter.

But a bit o’ better butter

Will but make my batter better.” ......

I was told that it was an old traditional song of which there were many from different areas which women sung as they laboriously beat their batter. At home we called a cake batter a 'mixture' but made a 'batter' when we made 'batter pudding' (we didn't know it as Yorkshire pudding). Thus I always imagined the ladies beating a batter such as used for pancakes or Yorkshire pudding. Wikipaedia tells me that that song was only written in 1899 and doesn't mention batter, but I digress.

I give my batter a good beat but not so much that I would need a song to help me along in the way I might for a light sponge, egg whites, cream etc.

Do people from other parts of the country know anything about batter beating songs?

My family (from Bedfordshire/Cambs) had large Yorkshire puddings and only had them with roast beef but my ex OH's family were Suffolk people and had batter puddings (made in a 12-hole tart baking tray) with every Sunday roast.

I remember Betty Botter, it's a really difficult tune to sing, especially for children (key changes)I think as we were all 'ampshire 'ogs with awkward vowel sounds and a lot of glottal stops we were encouraged to sing it as an exercise in making Betty, Butter, Botter and Bitter sound distinct - we naturally didn't sound the T'd We always wondered what kind of batter - we thought pancakes as those often contain melted butter, but YPs don't

I tried to find the tune I know on youtube but most of the versions I can find are American (different lyrics, expanded from the nursery rhyme) or Indian, and they use a variety of tunes, not the one I know (probably form one of the OUP song books)

People of a 'certain age' .. I think it featured on one of the schools radio programmes once - probably Time and Tune - so we probably all learned it then. When I went home and sang it I got the story about the traditional beating songs. It sounds good even if not true!